Backup Restoration
We take daily backups of every server that is hosted with us to protect against data loss and hardware failure. However, due to the quantity of backups we take and the security required for storing backups of user data, it can take up to 48 hours for a backup to restored when submitted through a backup ticket. So we highly recommend using another backup method in addition to our daily backups for when you need to perform a quick restore.
If you're using a Spigot based Minecraft server, you can use DriveBackupV2 to take your own backups!
Restoring from a Personal Backup
Whatever backup method you use for your personal backups, it should store them as an archive file such as a .zip or .tar file type. That file will contain whatever files have been backed up from your server and is what we'll be using.
Getting the Files you need
You'll want to download the backup archive to your personal computer and decompress it in order to verify what's contained within your backup and select what you need to restore. You should include only the files and folders you need to restore in your backup. This may take some trial and error, but that's one of the many reasons why you should backup your live server before you restore your backup.
Check out our page on Folder Compression/Decompression if you need help on how to compress/decompress your backup!
Uploading your Files
Before moving on to this step you need to turn your server off! Modifying your server files should never be done while it’s online!
Make sure that your server is off before proceeding!
After you've selected and compressed the files you need to restore to your server, you should take a backup of your live server to prevent any accidental data loss. After you've taken the backup, you can upload the archive via SFTP or the Game Panel depending on the size. Once uploaded, you can decompress the archive using the Game Panel and then start your server and make sure everything works as expected. Follow the steps below to Upload and Decompress your Archive.
We can not stress this enough. Always take a backup before moving on to the next step.
No backup method is perfect and you should always take a backup before deleting the most recent server data!
Using SFTP
Check out our page on Using SFTP if you aren't sure how to use it! This is the preferred method for uploading archives, so give it a shot!
Using the Game Panel
If your archive is under 100mb, you can use the Game Panel, if you aren't sure how to do that, check out our page on Game Control Panel - The Basics.
After uploading your archive through either method, you'll need to decompress it through the Game Panel. You can read the Game Control Panel - The Basics for information on how to do that!
Restoring from a WinterNode Backup
We take daily backups internally at 4AM Central Time without Client Intervention, to our company-owned server. This automated system runs outside the "Backups" system displayed in our panel. The "Backups" tab in panel is not active, as our backup system has been built independently of it.
To request a restoration from our daily backups, please open a Support ticket with us on Discord or fill out the below template and open a ticket on the Client Panel. This will then be forwarded to our Backup Manager. We aim to complete the restoration process within less than 48 hours, however, this is not always possible. Customers who desire faster access to backups are encouraged to take their own external backups, see the relevant articles below.
MySQL Backups are not currently retained.
Requesting a backup via Discord
The easiest method to request a backup is to use our Discord Bot in a support ticket on our Discord. Follow the steps below to open a ticket and request your backup.
If you aren't already in the discord you can join with this link. Once there make sure you get the client role by following the steps on the Claim Discord Client Role page.
Opening a Ticket
Now that you have the client role and you're in the server, start by opening a ticket in the support channel by clicking on the Support button on the bottom of the channel. That will open a new ticket for you and you'll be mentioned in it as soon as you click on it.
You'll also get a neat little box showing you the name of the ticket that you can click on to get to the ticket.
Running the command
Once you're in your ticket, you can type /backup in the message box. You should get the command suggested like you see in the images below.
Selecting your Server
After sending the command the WinterNode bot will send a Backup Request embed that will require you to select the options needed for your backup to be restored. The first one, shown in the images below, are which server you need the backup for.
Just use the drop down menu to select which server you want and click next.
Selecting the backup date
After you've requested what server you want the backup of, you'll be presented with a list of dates and times that we have backups for. The backups are made at 4AM Central Time daily and will reflect that time in the list.
Just select the one that's most likely to have the data that you need and click next. Use This Link to get the offset between you and Central Time.
Completing the request
After answering all of the questions in the embed you'll be greeted with a summary of the options you've entered and the chance to edit them. If everything looks good then you can select finish and one of our team members will complete the request soon!
If you're unable to use Discord or our Discord Bot for any reason or you'd like to make your request through the client area instead, please use the method below.
Requesting a backup via Form
You can also request a backup by filling out the form below and sending it either in a Discord or Client Panel ticket. You'll find explanations of each question below the form.
Node: [Example: CHI1]
- (Found in the Homepage of the Server List)
Server UUID: [Example: 46921aec]
- (Found in the Homepage or Panel URL)
Date: [Example: March 31st]
- (The date of the backup you want)
Node
You'll need to provide the node that the server you need a backup of is part of. You can find your servers node by looking at it on your server list as seen in the image below.
UUID
You'll need to provide the node that the server you need a backup of is part of. You can find your servers node by looking at it on your server list as seen in the image below.
Date
Our backups are taken every 24 hours at 4am Central Time, so you'll need to provide a date that is most likely to have the data that you need. You can use This Link to see what time it is in the Central Time time zone so that you can work back to when you need your backup.